2. King Leopold II: The Butcher of the Congo
King Leopold II of Belgium turned the Congo Free State into his personal fiefdom from 1885 to 1908, orchestrating one of history’s most brutal colonial regimes. Driven by greed, Leopold’s rule relied on forced labor, violence, and terror, leading to the deaths of an estimated 10 million Congolese. His unchecked authority set a grim precedent for colonial exploitation and left scars that persist today. Leopold’s legacy is a chilling reminder of what happens when a single ruler’s ambitions go unchallenged. [Source: BBC News]
